Ontario’s Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, has firmly defended the province’s hospital parking fees, responding to calls from NDP MPP Jeff Burch to eliminate these charges. Jones contended that eliminating the fees would mean adding even more financial pressure on those hospitals already facing shortfalls. Her comments coincide with Nova Scotia’s recent decision to end hospital parking fees. The province, for its part, has pledged to restore hospitals’ lost revenue through compensation.
Either way, during an important legislative session, Burch took the lead and made a motion to eliminate hospital parking fees. He cited Nova Scotia’s recent announcement as a model to emulate. He emphasized that families in Ontario often incur unexpected costs for healthcare, stating, “Families are paying for health care with their credit card, not their OHIP card, something the premier says shouldn’t happen.”
In reply, Jones brought attention to the intricacies of the matter. She stated, “It is really important that we don’t just grasp on to simplistic solutions for complicated problems.” She noted that virtually every hospital in Ontario, particularly in mid-sized sites, faces deepening deficits. These non-profits depend on parking fees—which they call “hospitality”—to continue the operation of their critical public service.
Financial Challenges Facing Hospitals
Jones emphasized that hospitals use lot charges to help keep the world-class treatment and equipment available. She cautioned that getting rid of these fees might worsen the fiscal strain these entities are already under. “We have to acknowledge that our hospitals are using these parking fees to ensure that the world-class access is there, that treatment and equipment is there, and that is where parking fees are going,” she said. “To eliminate them is actually going to put additional pressure on our hospitals.”
Cholly Boland, the president and CEO of Winchester Hospital, wrote in support of it. He emphasized that the facility has been in debt trouble since 2021. He announced that Winchester Hospital has been doing financially. As a consequence, it has accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest payments. The debt has crippled the hospital’s ability to attract vendors, since it can’t pay its bills in a timely manner.
No Commitment from Ontario Government
Jones reiterated that the Ontario government has made no commitment to make up lost revenue. This is especially true if parking is free. Hospital administrators are understandably concerned about their ability to continue to operate. This absence of financial support endangers essential dollars.
As this important debate rages on, Ontario’s hospitals are still teetering on the edge. Even before the pandemic, many small facilities faced significant financial deficits. The loss of this parking fee revenue would deepen their financial distress and impede their ability to deliver critical healthcare services.
